


One Breath at a Time

by Golden_Asp



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Baby Fic, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-03-28 19:32:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3867163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Asp/pseuds/Golden_Asp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sam becomes pregnant, Jack is thrilled, and terrified.  He has to work through his past demons to embrace everything before him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Cafe

**Author's Note:**

> Somewhat graphic description of Charlie's death in this chapter, story will have spoilers for Cold Lazarus.

One Breath at a Time  
By Golden Asp

Chapter One: The Café

Major Samantha Carter sat alone in the small café. She was in civilian clothes, and had a book open on the table in front of her. She absentmindedly took a sip of her water. She glanced at her watch before looking up at the door.

He was late.

Not that she was surprised. This was the first day they’d had off in a month, and he was probably sleeping in. He deserved it.

Sam ran a hand through her short blonde hair and turned back to her book. She would wait for him, no matter how long it took.

The door to the café opened as another woman walked through the door. Sara O’Neill paused as she took her jacket off, her gaze stopped on the blonde sitting alone, reading a book.

Sara frowned. The woman seemed somehow familiar. She was sure she had met her, or at least seen her before. Sara folded her jacket over her arm. She had a feeling she had at least seen a picture of her rather recently.

Then she remembered. Jack. Jack had a picture of this woman in his wallet.

_6 ½ Months Ago_

_“Sara?”_

_She turned at the sound of her name. The park was nearly empty, and she immediately saw him._

_“Jack, how are you?” she waited while he walked up to her, his hands shoved deep into his pockets._

_“Okay, you?” He looked at her. They stared at each other for a few minutes. Jack tried to remember the last time they had met and just talked. He couldn’t._

_“I’m…good, actually, Jack. Really good,” she smiled up at him. His lips twitched in a return smile._

_“That’s good. I was going to grab a coffee, you want one?” he gestured to the coffee stand at the edge of the park._

_“Sure, that’d be nice.” They began to walk towards the stand. “I’ve wanted to talk to you anyway.”_

_“Uh oh.”_

_She laughed. “Nothing bad, Jack, I promise.”_

_“Well, that’s a relief.”_

_They stepped up to the coffee stand. Jack pulled out his wallet._

_“One black coffee, one vanilla latte, extra hot.”_

_Sara smiled softly. He still remembered. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he pulled money out of his wallet. They had been so in love. If Charlie was still alive…_

_“Damn it!” Jack swore suddenly. Two pictures slid from his wallet. The breeze picked them up and began to whisk them away. Sara lunged and managed to step on both of them before they got too far away._

_Sara picked up the pictures. They were both well worn, as if he spent a lot of time handling them. The first picture was of Jack and Charlie. Her heart twisted slightly, as it always did when she saw a picture of their son. She smiled sadly as she ran her thumb over Charlie’s face._

_The second picture was of Jack and a blonde woman. They were both wearing the casual work uniform of the Air Force. The picture had clearly been taken without their knowledge. Jack had his feet up on what was presumably the woman’s desk. His hands were locked behind his head and he had a roguish smile on his face. The woman was laughing, reaching to shove his feet off the desk._

_Sara looked at the picture. She hadn’t seen Jack smile like that in years. He looked happy. She smiled at him as he walked up to her with their coffee. She took her latte in one hand and gave the pictures back to him._

_“She’s very beautiful.”_

_He flushed faintly as he carefully tucked the pictures back into his wallet._

_“You must care for her a lot,” Sara said softly._

_His mouth opened, and then closed as he looked away. Sara put her hand on his arm._

_“Jack, it’s okay. You’re not going to hurt me.”_

_“It’s not okay though,” he said softly. “I’m her commanding officer; she’s my second in command. Nothing…nothing can happen.” He still didn’t look at her._

_“What’s her name?”_

_“Samantha, Sam Carter.”_

_They stood in silence, Sara’s hand resting on his arm. He took a deep breath and then looked down at her. He smiled, but she could see it didn’t really reach his eyes. His walls were back up._

_“You said you wanted to talk to me?”_

_She took a step back and sipped her latte, watching him._

_“I met someone a while back. We’re serious.”_

_He nodded and took a drink of his coffee, staring somewhere behind her._

_“Are you happy?”_

_She looked at him, surprised that he had asked that question._

_“Yes,” she said, “I’m happy.”_

_He looked down at her, his brown eyes staring straight into her soul._

_“Then I’m happy for you Sara, I really am.”_

_“I want you to meet him, and his three year old daughter.”_

_His eyes widened slightly at that. She nodded slowly._

_“It was hard, especially at first,” she whispered, “She’s the first child I’ve spent a lot of time with since Charlie…Some days were harder than others. But I think she’s helping me heal. Slowly. No one will ever replace Charlie, but Sammy eases the ache.”_

_“Sammy?” he croaked._

_“Her name’s Samantha. You’d like her, especially since you seem partial to that name,” Sara smiled wryly at him, taking another sip of her latte._

_“I have to go, Jack. Keep in touch, will you?”_

_He nodded, but seemed unsure about something as they embraced.  
“Thanks for the coffee, Jack. Be happy.”_

_Sara smiled up at him again, blinking back the tears that thinking about Charlie brought up. She turned and walked back to her car, leaving him standing in the park, coffee cooling in his hand._

**The Café**

“Sam Carter?”

Sam looked up with a gasp, her eyes widening as she took in the slightly older woman.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been properly introduced. I’m Sara.”

Sam nodded as they shook hands, “I know.”

“Mind if I join you?” Sara asked.

Sam gestured to one of the chair across from her. “Please. And how did you know my name?”

“Ran into Jack a few months back.”

Sam raised her eyebrows, her impossibly blue eyes questions. “He mentioned me? And you recognized me from a description?”

Sara just smiled. She watched Sam for a moment. So, it seemed the feelings were mutual.

“He keeps your picture in his wallet. Next to Charlie’s.”

Silence. Sam looked down at her hands. What do you say to that?

The silence stretched as the waitress walked over. “Can I get you anything?”

“Just orange juice,” Sara said, “I’m waiting for a couple people.”

“Of course,” the waitress walked away, leaving the two women alone.

Sam took a sip of her water. She seemed to be debating whether or not to talk to Sara. She set her water down.

“He told me about Charlie once,” Sam said softly. Sara leaned forward, looking at this woman with renewed interest.

“What did he tell you?”

Sam looked up, their eyes locking.

“Everything.”

**3 ½ months ago**

Sam shouldered her go bag and prepared to leave the base. She turned the lights out in her lab and shut the door.

SG-1 had been put on stand down for four days. It was a well-deserved break. As she walked toward the elevator, she heard someone running towards her.

“Sam!”

She turned and smiled at Dr. Daniel Jackson. “Daniel, what’s up?”

“Have you seen Jack? Teal’c said he saw him leave right after the debrief, but we can’t find him and he’s not answering his phone.”

She frowned. “His house is on the way to mine. I’ll swing by and check.”

Daniel nodded. He ran his hand through his hair. “You’ll let us know?”

“Of course. I’ll call later.”

“Thanks, Sam.”

She waved at him as she stepped into the elevator. As it rose through the mountain, she thought back to their last mission. Colonel O’Neill had seemed a bit distant, distracted by something that he didn’t share with the team.

At the parking lot, she stowed the bag in the saddle bags of her bike and started it up, the rumble of the engine a familiar comfort.

When she arrived at O’Neill’s house, his truck was in the driveway, but all the lights were off. She glanced at the roof, trying to see if he was at his telescope. The small balcony was empty.

She stepped up to the front door and knocked. There was no answer. She grabbed the doorknob and turned it. Unlocked. She stepped into the dark house.

“Colonel? You in here? It’s Carter.”

Still no answer, but she heard a click, what sounded like a bottle being set down, and the crackle of a fire from the living room.

She walked in slowly. “Sir?”

He was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch. He stared blankly into the fire place. There were seven beer bottles around him, one with a baseball balanced precariously on top of it.

“Sir?”

He glanced up at her blearily.

“Carter. Do you know what today is?” his voice was rough, like he hadn’t used it since the debriefing hours ago. Sam sat down next to him, shifting a couple of the bottles out of the way.

“What day is it, sir?” she whispered. He turned back to the fire and reached for the baseball, turning it over and over in his hands, running his fingers over the laces.

“It’s Charlie’s birthday,” his voice cracked. She reached out and took his hand. He clutched it to him, squeezing hard. She didn’t say anything as the bones in her hand ground together, she just rubbed her thumb in small circles over his hand.

“This is the first time since the Stargate program started back up that we’ve been on planet for it…I didn’t think…” he seemed unable to finish.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, their shoulders touching.

“Tell me about Charlie.”

He looked at her, his chocolate eyes bloodshot.

“I don’t know where to start.”

Sam continued to draw circles on his hand with her thumb.

“Start with how you felt when you found out Sara was pregnant.”

He looked at her and squeezed her hand again. She wasn’t sure if he was actually going to talk about Charlie. It wasn’t a subject that they breeched with him, ever.  
And then Jack started to talk. He told her everything; his fear and joy when Sara told him she was pregnant; his awe at holding Charlie for the first time; how proud he was of his son as he grew from toddler to boy.

He talked for hours, telling her stories about the first baseball game he took Charlie to, and how that team manager had signed a ball just for Charlie. He told her how much Charlie loved to laugh, and how he brought joy to everyone around him.

He went silent for a moment, and Sam wondered if he was finished. Haltingly, he began to tell her about the day Charlie died. He clung to her hand as if it were a life line.  
He told her how he had just gotten home and kissed Sara in the yard, how she showed him Charlie’s school picture, which had come in the mail that day.

Sam felt tears roll down her cheeks, and could see the tear tracks on Jack’s face as he told her about the gunshot ringing from the master bedroom. The horror he felt as he screamed Charlie’s name. Time seemed to slow as he ran up the stairs, Sara on his heels with the cordless phone, screaming at 911.

He flung the door open to the bedroom, and gave another wordless cray as he saw Charlie sprawled on the floor, Jack’s gun in his small hand. Blood and thicker things stained the grey carpet, turning it a dark violet. Jack’s brain refused to process what he was seeing.

That couldn’t be his son on the floor, so still, so lifeless.

He told Sam how he had dropped to his knees next to Charlie, blood soaking the knees of his pants. He was barely aware of Sara behind him, yelling frantically into the phone. 

He drew Charlie’s body in to his arms and felt despair fall around him like a blanket. He felt terror as he realized that somehow, even with half of his face gone, Charlie was still breathing.

He cradled Charlie’s head against his chest, trying to stem the flow of blood. Inside, the part of him that worked Black Ops knew there was no hope, no way Charlie would survive that injury. There had been hollow point bullets in that gun. Those weren’t designed to leaved survivable wounds.

The part of him that was Charlie’s father didn’t, couldn’t believe that his son would die, that his son was dying here, in this room, in his arms.

Distantly, he could hear the sound of sirens getting closer. He was aware of Sara hitting her knees next to him, sobbing. Then footsteps running up the stairs, paramedics rushing in and dropping next to Jack. He couldn’t remember what they were saying, he couldn’t hear what they were saying, he just knew they were trying to take his son away from him.

He fought to cling to Charlie. The paramedics sat back, sensing that Jack could be dangerous. He bent over Charlie, cries ripping from his chest.

He barely felt Sara’s hand on his shoulder.

“Jack, they’re trying to help. Let them take him.” Her voice was thick with tears.

The paramedics took Charlie from Jack’s now limp arms. As they bundled him onto the gurney and rushed him down the stairs, Jack flung himself after them, Sara close behind.  
They climbed into the ambulance behind the paramedics. The ambulance tore off, sirens screeching into the afternoon air. Jack clung to Charlie’s hand, whispering his name over and over again.

The hospital. Doctors surrounding Charlie, shouted words, and the press of bodies around him.

Seconds, minutes, hours later, Jack wasn’t sure. He just stood in the middle of the emergency room, Charlie’s blood drying on him. Sara stood next to him, tears streaming down her face.

Time passed, but Jack was unaware of it. He just stared at the doctors around Charlie. He watched as one by one they bowed their heads and stepped back.

Jack felt the bile rise in the back of the throat as one of the doctor’s walked to them. Sara clung to his arm, sobs hiccupping from her chest.

“Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill, I’m so sorry…”

That was all Jack heard. An anguished scream tore from his throat as he hit his knees. He pressed his face into his hands. Oh God, he had let go, he thought, if only I had held onto him, if only I hadn’t let go…

Jack finally fell silent. Sam’s arms were around him, rocking him back and forth as she whispered soothing words in his ear. He could feel her tears falling onto his shoulder. He buried his face in her shoulder, trying to muffle his cries. He had never told anyone about exactly what had happened that day. He felt raw, like a wound had been torn open and salt rubbed in it.

“Let it out, Jack, just let it out,” Sam whispered. He tensed, almost as if he were going to pull away, before collapsing against her, crying his heart out.

Sam stroked his hair, letting him cry. She felt her face, damp with her own tears. She held him until he quieted, his breath warm and steady against her neck.

She shifted slightly, lowering his head into her lap. He was asleep, his face temporarily free of worry or sadness. Sam dug into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly dialed Daniel’s number and put it to her ear.

“Sam, it’s been hours. Is everything okay?”

She could hear the worry in his voice. “Everything will be fine Daniel, just a rough day for him.”

Daniel paused, listening. “Are you crying, Sam?”

“Not anymore,” she whispered. “I’ll see you in a few days. Jack will be fine.”

“If you say so, Sam. Are you sure?”

“Yes, Daniel, I’ll call you tomorrow.” She looked at Jack. “Have a good night, Daniel.”

“Bye Sam. Hope everything’s okay,” she could hear the doubt in his voice as he hung up. She touched Jack’s cheek.

“Colonel, let’s get you into the bed. Sir. Wake up.”

O’Neill’s eyes opened slowly. His head was in Carter’s lap. He closed his eyes briefly. Any other day he would have enjoyed this immensely.

“Carter?” he sat up slowly, his head pounding.

“Sir, you need to sleep,” she stood up and helped him to his feet. She put her arm around his waist as he leaned against her. She led him down to the bedroom. He collapsed onto the bed. He felt Sam tugging at his feet as she removed his boots.

She pulled the blankets around him as his eyes drifted shut. He thought he felt her lips press against his forehead.

“Sleep now, Jack.” Her lips pressed against his forehead again, at least he thought she kissed him again, but before he could ask, sleep took him like a wave.

**The Café**

Sara sat back, staring at the younger woman. “He must trust you implicitly to tell you everything. He never opens up.”

“I know,” Sam said wryly, “that whole Black Ops, top secret, thing.”

Sara laughed, still a little in shock that Jack had opened up like that to anyone. Even when they had been married, and well before Charlie’s death lay between them, he had never opened up. She could only remember seeing him cry twice; once on the day when Charlie was born, and on the day he had died.

She took a drink of her orange juice and shook her head. “I’m still in shock a little; that he would open up like that.”

“We’ve saved each other’s lives countless times, it forges a bond.”

Sara nodded slowly, staring at the younger Air Force officer.

“The next time we were at the base, there was a dark pink rose on my desk with a note that just said ‘Thank you,’” Sam said, fingering her napkin and avoiding Sara’s gaze.

“Clearly, you both care greatly for each other,” Sara said, watching Sam intensely.

“Yes,” Sam whispered, blinking rapidly.

“Then why do you look so utterly miserable, Sam?”

Sam stopped playing with the napkin and took a deep shuddering breath. She looked up, and Sara was taken aback by the tears shimmering in Sam’s blue eyes.

“Because I’m pregnant, and it’s Jack’s.”


	2. Giving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: sex ahead

Chapter Two: Giving In

Sara sat back, her eyes wide. She remembered how Jack had said nothing could ever happen between him and Sam. Well, apparently something had happened.

Sara stood up and walked around the table as tears began to run down Sam’s cheeks. She sat next to Sam and put her arm around her shoulders.

“How did it happen?”

Sam snorted, “I think you know how this sort of thing happens, Sara.”

Sara smiled and squeezed Sam’s shoulders. “What I meant was...what led to it? Jack said nothing could happen.”

Sam sighed. “Nothing should’ve happened...we could both be court martialed. It just...happened.”

_7 Weeks Ago_

_“Hold still and let me finish, Major,” Dr. Janet Fraiser said as she finished splinting three of Carter’s fingers together. The rest of SG-1 stood nearby in the infirmary. Every time Carter winced, O’Neill flinched with her._

_“Sorry about this, Carter,” he said, wincing as Janet tightened the splint._

_“It’s fine sir,” she ground out between gritted teeth. Of course, if O’Neill hadn’t tried to grab that device, she wouldn’t have had to pry it off of him, and she wouldn’t be in the position. Looking at how shame-faced O’Neill looked, he knew that it really was his fault. She gave him a small smile and looked at Janet._

_“Done yet?”_

_“Yes,” Janet said, releasing Carter’s hand, “Just keep the fingers together, try not to smash them in any doors and the bones should heal right up. Your hand will be stiff afterwards, but you’re young and fit, physical therapy will fix it right up.”_

_Carter stood up, slowing flexing her hand. Janet handed her a bottle of pills. “Strong Advil. Let me know if you need anything stronger.”_

_Carter nodded and looked at the rest of the team. “Beers at my place tonight?”_

_“Sounds good to me,” Daniel said. Teal’c nodded._

_“Yeah, sure. I’ll buy since, well, you know,” O’Neill gestured to Carter’s hand. She rolled her eyes at him._

_“Can you drive with that hand or do you want a ride?” Daniel asked. Carter looked at her splinted fingers._

_“I’ll take the ride. Thanks Daniel,” she looked at O’Neill and Teal’c. “See you guys there?”_

_O’Neill nodded. “C’mon, Teal’c. I’ll give you a ride.” Teal’c tilted his head to the side and followed O’Neill out the door._

_“Enjoy yourselves,” Janet said as she started to put the medical supplies away._

_“Sorry you can’t be there,” Daniel said softly._

_“Next time,” Janet smiled at him. “Try not to overexert yourself, Sam.”_

_“Thanks, Doc,” Sam muttered, rolling her eyes at Daniel. “See ya in a few days.”_

_Daniel and Sam walked out of the infirmary. “Meet you at the parking lot in a few,” Daniel said, “I just need to swing by my lab.”_

_She nodded and continued on._

_A few hours later, SG-1 was gathered in Sam’s living room. They were chatting easily. Jack and Sam were still working on the beer, while Daniel and Teal’c had long ago switched to tea._

_Daniel checked his watch, “I gotta run, guys. I have to debrief SG-6 in the morning.”_

_“Aw, Danny boy, all work and no play, ya know?” Jack said, pointing at him with his beer bottle._

_Daniel rolled his eyes with a smile. “Thanks for that, Jack.”_

_“Perhaps you can take me back to the base as well, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said._

_“Course, Teal’c,” Daniel gulped the last of his tea and grabbed his jacket. “Hope your hand feels better, Sam. See you guys later.”_

_Sam followed him and Teal’c to the front door, O’Neill trailing them. “Thanks for coming out, guys.”_

_“I am glad your hand will heal, Major Carter,” Teal’c said._

_“Me too, Teal’c. No thanks to the Colonel, of course,” she smiled wryly at Jack, who flinched and looked down._

_“Jeez, how many times do I need to apologize, Carter?”_

_Her smile widened. “I’m a woman, sir, can’t hear the words ‘I’m sorry’ from a man’s mouth often enough.”_

_Daniel snorted from the porch, “Ain’t that the truth.”_

_Sam shot a dirty look at Daniel, but softened it with a smile. “Get outta here, then.”_

_Teal’c nodded and walked to Daniel’s car. Daniel stared at Sam as Jack wandered back to the living room. He took his glasses off and looked at her hard._

_“You going to be okay?”_

_“I’ll be fine Daniel, really.”_

_Daniel glanced back into the house, where he could hear Jack turn on the TV. His eyebrows went up._

_“If you’re sure...”_

_“C’mon, Daniel, everything will be fine.”_

_Daniel smiled and waved as he walked back to his car. He watched Sam go back into the house and shut the door. He started the car._

_“They will be fine, Daniel Jackson. They have been alone together before.”_

_“I hope you’re right, Teal’c, I hope you’re right...”_

_Sam shut the door and walked back into her house. O’Neill was sitting on the couch, a hockey game on the TV. The sound was muted, and the colors danced over the darkened room. Sam grabbed her beer and downed a couple of the painkillers Janet had given her. She dropped onto the couch next to O’Neill._

_They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts._

_“I am sorry about your hand, Carter.”_

_She looked at him, leaning back against her couch in civilian clothing, beer in hand. His brown eyes locked on the TV, but she didn’t think he was actually watching it. She liked to watch him like this, when they weren’t fighting for their lives, or saving the world, or blowing up alien spaceships. She didn’t get to watch him like this very often, and normally she could hide her glances behind Daniel and Teal’c, but not tonight._

_“I know, sir. Shit happens. Bones will heal.”_

_He nodded, his eyes never leaving the TV. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes. His forehead was scrunched in a slight frown. She knew he was still blaming himself, and truthfully, it was his fault. If it wasn’t for his childlike tendency to touch things he really shouldn’t..._

_She leaned back into the couch. They hadn’t been alone together since the night he had told her about Charlie. Her heart sped up slightly, remembering the feel of him against her. She flexed her hand and saw his eyes dart to it._

_“Hand is a little sore though.”_

_There was a beat of silence, and Sam Carter decided to throw caution to the wind._

_“You could kiss it better, sir. Since it is your fault and all.”_

_Her heart hammered wildly in her chest. Had she really just said that? She closed her eyes, flopping her head against the back of the couch. She just wanted to block out the stupid words that had come out of her mouth. Maybe she needed to cut back on the beer..._

_Sam nearly leapt out of her skin when she felt him take her wounded hand in his. Her eyes flew open with a soft gasp when she felt his breath across the back of her hand._

_Oh Samantha, she thought to herself, this was not a goo idea..._

_His eyes never left hers as she raised her hand to his mouth and gently pressed his lips to the knuckle of her middle finger. She could feel that his lips were chapped as they caught on the edge of the splint._

_He lowered her hand slowly. They stared at each other. Her eyes were wide, lips slightly parted. His eyes were dark with desire. Years of heat simmered between them._

_“Do you hurt anywhere else, Sam?” His voice was hoarse. His thumb drew lazy circles on her hand._

_Sam was having a hard time catching her breath. She couldn’t believe they were sitting here like this. Slowly, she moved her good hand and pointed to her elbow._

_“Here,” she whispered. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he drew her arm to his mouth and kissed her elbow. His lips lingered for a second before he pulled back slightly. She had never realized that having her elbow kissed could be such a turn on._

_Sam felt like she was hyperventilating. They had been dancing around each other for so long..._

_“Where else?” Jack couldn’t believe he was pushing this. He should stand up right now and leave, but he did not feel like stopping._

_She touched her bare shoulder, the tank top she was had been wearing under her BDUs the only thing separating her skin from his touch._

_She closed her eyes as he shifted closer to her. She could feel the heat rolling from his body in waves as he leaved over and pressed his lips against her shoulder._

_He always had liked that little tank top number._

_He was definitely lingering now, his lips brushing her skin. Goosebumps raised along her arms. She jumped slightly._

_Good Lord, was that his tongue?_

_Her breathing was coming in little pants, her eyes closed. He rested his chin on her shoulder._

_“Anywhere else?” His voice was lower now, and she could feel his breath on her neck. Trembling slightly, she brushed her fingers over her cheek._

_He inched forward slowly, until his lips hovered just above her skin. He closed his eyes, inhaling her scent._

_We really shouldn’t be doing this, he thought, but he didn’t stop. His lips brushed her cheek, and he left them there. He could feel her pulse hammering as he pressed his forehead against her temple._

_“Sam...” he whispered, his lips moving against her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat as a soft moan escaped her lips._

_“Right here still hurts,” Sam whispered recklessly, touching her lips. She kept her eyes closed. There was no way they could do this. They shouldn’t be doing this._

_Her internal monologue screeched to a halt when she felt his hand slide gently around her face and turn her head to face him. It felt like her heart was going to tear itself out of her chest._

_Their breath mingled, there lips centimeters apart._

_“Sam,” he whispered again, and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was gently, exploratory, lips and soft murmurs. Sam slipped her arms around him, pulling him tightly against her. He tasted so much better than she had ever dreamed. She deepened the kiss, her hands splayed across his back. She didn’t even feel her broken fingers anymore. All there was was Jack. The feel of his body pressed against hers, the taste of his mouth, the smell of his skin._

_Jack wasn’t sure how much tie had passed when he finally pulled away. He rested his forehead against hers as they stared into each others eyes, silent; both were breathing hard._

_“I’m sorry Sam. I shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered, his voice soft but regretful. He sat up and dropped his head into his hands. He quickly tried to readjust his pants, but he couldn’t hide just how happy he had been kissing her. With a groan, he stood up. He didn’t look at her._

_“I should go,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose._

_I really shouldn’t have done that, he thought again. He walked towards the door, every fiber in his being screaming at hims to turn back, to go back to Sam and take her in his arms and never let her go._

_He heard the couch creak as Sam got up, but he kept walking to the door. He reached out the open it when a pair of arms snaked around his waist._

_Jack froze. He could feel her cheek pressed against his back. “Sam...”_

_“Stay,” she whispered into his back, “Stay with me.”_

_He took a deep breath. He wanted nothing more than to stay with her. He covered her hands with his._

_“If I stay, Sam, I...” he closed his eyes as she tightened her grip on his waist._

_“I know...Just one night...Jack...”_

_He shuddered in her arms, the sound of his name from her lips was ambrosia to his ears._

_He turned slowly in her arms until they faced each other. He stared into her blue eyes, seeing the very same determination he had seen that very first day they had met, when she put him and all of his men in their places. Along with the determination, he could see desire, the same desire he felt for her, the same desire he was sure she could see in his own eyes._

_He gently took her arms and kissed the palm of each hand, before placing them around his neck. He pushed her back a step, and then another as his hands dropped to her waist.  
Her back hit the wall. He stood right against her, staring at her intently. She could feel his arousal pressing into her._

_“Last chance Sam,” he growled softly, “I can still leave...”_

_Sam tightened her hands behind his neck and pulled his head down to hers._

_“Stay.”_

_With a groan, he crashed his lips against hers. This kiss was not the gentle, exploratory kiss of before. Jack was demanding. He knew exactly what he wanted and he wanted her. All of her._

_His tongue slid along her lower lip, and she opened her mouth to him. His knee parted her legs until he could feel the heat of her center burning against his thigh. She moaned into his mouth, pulling him as tightly against her as she could. Their tongues slid along each other, tasting each other, finally freeing what they had tried to deny for so long.  
His hand moved up the back of her tank top, his fingers lighting trails of fire along her skin. Sam pushed herself off the wall as he pulled the tank top over head, lips separating briefly as the fabric passed._

_Jack began to trail kisses down her neck. He paused at her pulse point, thundering against his lips. He reveled in the fact that he had that affect on her. She threw her head back as he kissed lower, before he nipped her collar bone with his teeth._

_Sam cried out softly, grinding herself against his thigh. She tugged his shirt out of his pants and began to pull it off over his head. He stepped back slightly and yanked it the rest of the way off. It fell to the floor with her tank top._

_She stared at him, shirtless before her. She had seen him shirtless before, but this time was different. This time she could touch him, drown herself in his skin, his scent, his taste.  
His hands drifted up her sides, pausing just below her bra. He looked at her, waiting for her go ahead. She reached up behind her and unclasped her bra. She slid her arms from it, dropping it to the floor._

_Jack groaned, staring hungrily at her breasts. Pink nipples pointed straight at him, dark against the creamy whiteness of her skin. She shuddered as his calloused hands played over the sensitive skin of her breasts. His thumbs flicked over nipples, and she moaned, pressing herself into his hands._

_He kissed her again, dropping his hands and pulling her against him. He delighted in the feel of her breasts pressing into his bare chest._

_His hands slid to her pants, and he paused his assault on her mouth long enough to lift her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he carried her to her bedroom, his eyes never leaving hers._

_He lay her on the bed and crawled up next to her. He undid her belt and began to pull her pants down her legs. She lifted her hips, freeing the pants. His eyes devoured her body, drinking in every curve and plane that made up Samantha Carter._

_“So beautiful,” Jack murmured. He leaned over and kissed the center of her chest. He trailed soft kisses over the mounds of her breasts, until he came to the hard peaks of her nipples. His tongue flicked out, tasting her._

_“Jack!” she buried her hand in his salt and pepper hair. He pulled her nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue around it. Her back arched against him as he gently skimmed his hand down to her hips._

_His eyes rolled up to watch her face. He lavished her breasts with attention as his hand continued its trek lower. Her eyelids fluttered as his fingers drifted down the front of her panties. Her breath came in quick pants. He drew his tongue from her breast and began to lick a trail back up her body._

_Jack hovered over her, his fingers rubbing along the edge of her wet slit. Her eyes were unfocused, lips parted in ecstasy._

_He lowered his mouth to hers, and as his tongue slipped gently along hers, his fingers plunged inside of her._

_She moaned, her body arching from the bed. She writhed against him as his fingers pumped in and out of her._

_“You’re so wet, Sam, just for me...” he caught her lower lip in his teeth, driving his fingers deeper into her slick heat, bringing her closer to the edge._

_“Please Jack,” she whispered, her body straining to be close to him._

_“What do you want Sam?” His lips found a sensitive spot behind her ear._

_“You Jack! Oh God, I need you!” He kissed her again, hard. He dragged his fingers out of her and hooked them on her panties. He yanked them down her legs, throwing them aside._

_Sam lay completely naked before him. He sat back slightly, eyes roving over her body, memorizing her. He pushed himself up and quickly unzipped his pants. Her uninjured hand caught his wrist, and he paused as she pushed his pants, boxers and all, down his legs._

_Her eyes traveled up and down his body, pausing on his hardened length. She reached out and wrapped her hand around him._

_“Sam!” he cried out hoarsely. Her thumb flicked the head of his shaft. He cried out again and grabbed her hand as she moved to do it again._

_“I won’t last long if you keep that up,” he panted. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him, her hand still wrapped around his manhood._

_Jack wrapped his arms around her and lay her down. Their lips never separated as his hands moved down her body, spreading her legs for him._

_Sam released his length and wrapped her arms around his waist, her hands coming to rest on the swells of his butt.  
“Please Jack,” she whispered, “I need you, now.”_

_He dropped soft kisses along her jaw and rolled his body on top of hers. His hips settled against hers as he shifted his body. She felt the head of his shaft press into her core._

_“Please...” she whispered again, running her nails down his back, raising red lines along his skin._

_Their eyes locked as he pushed inside of her, her silken walls tightening around him as they came together. He filled her completely, her walls stretching to accommodate him. Once he was buried in her to the hilt, he paused, kissing her gently, savouring the feel of her._

_“I’ve wanted this for so long, Sam.”_

_She returned his kisses. “I know. Ohhh...”_

_Her train of thought derailed as he began to move. He drew himself out of her until the tip was the only thing inside her. Her nether lips swallowed his shaft with each stroke as he thrust into her._

_She began to move with him, their bodies finding the rhythm to that most ancient of dances. Sam had never felt anything like this. Jack was perfect. They were perfect, together.  
He buried himself in her with each thrust, delighting in the feel of her. She was so wet, so good. She was everything he had ever fantasized about and more._

_“Jack, oh Jack!” Sam felt a heaviness deep withing in belly, heat spreading for her core to every part of her body, moving across her body in waves. “Soon, Jack!”_

_His thrusts grew more erratic. “I’m close Sam! Come for me, Samantha, come for me!”_

_Sam cried out as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her. Her walls tightened around him, and he cried out with her._

_He managed a few more haphazard thrusts before he felt himself come, his seed surging into her._

_He collapsed next to her and pulled her against him. They held each other, sweat mixing as she snuggled against him. Jack reached down and pulled the blankets up over their bodies. He felt her breath against his chest and his arms tightened around her._

_They lay there in silence, neither wanting to open their mouths and bring reality crashing back down. The reality that they were both officers in the United States Air Force and that he was her commanding officer could wait, for now, they were just a man and a woman who had finally given in to their feelings._

_She closed her eyes, a soft smile on her face. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep with the woman of his dreams in his arms._

**The Café**

Sara rubbed Sam’s shoulders. “Has anything happened since?”

Sam shook her head. “There hasn’t been enough time. He’s left small tokens; a box of jello, a red rose on my desk. But there’s been too much going on at the base.”

Sara nodded. “Do you want it to happen again?”

“Oh God, yes,” Sam said, her cheeks flushing. 

Sara threw her head back, laughing. “He was always very, very good in bed.”

Sam burst out laughing. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you!”

Sara smiled, watching Sam’s face as the laughter drained away. “When did you find out?”

“Yesterday,” Sam said, “Eight separate home pregnancy tests, every single one positive.” Sam’s voice had dwindled to barely a whisper. Sara squeezed her shoulders again.

“So you haven’t told Jack yet?”

“No. And...I’m a little scared...to tell him...”

Sara leaned back slightly and took a deep breath. This was a little strange, truth be told. “Sam, Jack is a wonderful father. He’s...he’s the best father. He’ll love you, and that baby...”

Sam lowered her head, blinking back tears. “I never meant to have this conversation with you, Sara. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, Sam. Jack’s not mine anymore...He hasn’t been mine since Charlie...” Sara took a deep, shuddering breath. Sam clinched her fists.

“It’s not that I don’t think he’s a great father, it’s me...and the job, and everything all at once, and I normally don’t go on like this!”

Sara smiled wryly. “Hormones. Better get used to it.”

Sam sighed. “I’m worried about his reaction. We’ve come across children on missions before, and he’ll get this look in his eyes...pain, and guilt, and desire...and I just don’t know what he’ll do...”

Sara took Sam’s hand. “He’ll probably freak out a bit. I know...I know he blames himself for Charlie, and that’s going to affect how he acts. He’ll never forgive himself for Charlie’s death...and his greatest fear will be it happening again. He’ll be so overly protective you’ll just want to hit him. He’ll do whatever is necessary to protect the baby, to love it, and to love you.”

Sam nodded slowly, blinking back tears. 

“It won’t be easy, Sam, for either one of you. But you love each other, I can tell.”

“Love conquers all?” Sam said dryly.

Sara frowned slightly. “Love conquers most. There are some things that love alone just can’t survive.”

Sam looked at her. “I’m sorry...” In one day, Sam already felt unconditional love for the child within her. Already, the thought of losing that baby made her heart rate leap and her breath quicken.

Sara smiled sadly at Sam. “Time does help heal wounds, though. I’m engaged to a great man, and his daughter is a joy to be around. Whatever happens with you and Jack and your jobs, you’ll just have to figure it out. Together.”

Sam nodded. “Together,” she said softly. She liked the sound of that.

Sara’s smile brightened. She could easily see herself becoming friends with this woman.

**Just outside the Café**

Jack O’Neill stood outside the cafe, looking through the window. He was hallucinating, at least, he was fairly sure he was hallucinating.

Or he’d finally gone completely and utterly bat-shit crazy.

There was no way in hell Sam Carter was sitting with his ex-wife Sara, both deep in conversation, ignoring the world around them.

Yes, he was crazy. Maybe this was a dream. Or an alternate universe. That had happened before...

Or maybe he was just certifiably nuts.

Jack decided to take a brisk walk around the block. Or maybe two or three blocks. Maybe his head would sort itself out by then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's chapter two. Thanks for reading.


	3. Thinking Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara remembers her time with Jack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoilers for The Lazarus Effect in this chapter. Sorry for the long delay! Thanks for reading!

Chapter Three: Thinking Back

“Sara!” a little girl’s voice called from the door. Sara looked up from Sam, a smile blossoming across her face.

“Sammy!” Sara stood up and scooped the little girl into her arms, Sammy’s red pig tails flying.

Sam Carter leaned back and watched. She was slightly surprised at the change that came over Sara in the presence of the child was amazing. Sara’s face, a few minutes ago tight with sorrow, now was smiling and happy. A handsome man walked up to them, a smile on his face.

The little girl turned to face him in Sara’s arms. “Daddy, I found her first!”

The man smiled, “I can see that, Sammy. Guess that means you get the chocolate chip pancakes.”

“Hooray!”

Sara smiled up at the man and he dropped a kiss onto her lips. Sam’s eyebrows shot up. Sara turned to Sam.

“This is Dave Walker, my fiancé, and Sammy, his daughter. Dave, this is Samantha Carter.”

Dave leaned around Sara and shook Sam’s hand, giving her her first real look at him. He was a little taller than Jack, only lightly tanned, with reddish brown hair and green eyes. He had crow’s feet around his eyes, and looked like he smiled a lot.

“Nice to meet you. Have you guys known each other long?”

“Only about twenty minutes or so,” Sara laughed, setting Sammy into a booster seat. “She’s part of Jack’s team, she’s waiting for him.”

Dave arched his eyebrow. “And maybe they want breakfast without an audience?”

“Jack’ll get over it,” Sara said, sitting down, “I’ve wanted you guys to meet anyway.”

“It’s fine,” Sam said with a smile. Sammy smiled toothily at her.

“My name’s Sammy, I’m almost four.”

“Really now? My name is Sam.”

Sammy’s eyes widened gleefully. She looked at her father.

“Daddy, we have the same name!”

Dave smiled and kissed his daughter’s forehead. “So you do.”

The waitress came back. “Ready to order?”

Sara looked at Sam, “Should we wait for Jack?”

Sam shook her head, “I can order for him.” She looked at the waitress. “I’m going to have the cinnamon French toast. Jack’s going to have the triple breakfast platter, scrambled eggs, bacon extra crispy, and black coffee.”

The waitress nodded and wrote it down, looking at Sara. “I’ll have the biscuits and gravy.”

Dave glanced at the menu. “Make it two of what Jack’s having, but I want my eggs over easy. And Sammy here wants the chocolate chip pancakes and a milk.”

The waitress smiled. “Should be out in a few.”

“Thanks,” Sara said, handing the menus over.

Dave looked at Sam. “So, you’re in the Air Force?”

“That’s right. Recently promoted to Major, PHD in astrophysics.”

“Wow, and congratulations on the promotion.”

“Thanks,” Sam said, “what do you do?”

“I did 12 years in the Army, honorable discharge a few years ago. Now, I’m a city cop here.”

“You like it?”

“Not getting deployed is nice. I can stay close to Sammy.”

Sara smiled at him and squeezed his hand. Someone cleared their throats. 

“Jack!” Sara stood up and gave him a quick hug. Sam bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing at the slightly shell shocked look on Jack’s face.

Jack automatically embraced his ex-wife as his eyes darted around the table. He sat down next to Sam and leaned close to her.

“Is this real?”

Sam laughed. “Yes, this is real. I ordered for you.”

“Thanks.”

Jack’s eyes went to the man, who was watching Jack with interest, and the little girl sitting next to Sara. The girl was maybe three or four years old, with red hair and her father’s green eyes. The girl grinned toothily and waved at him. He smiled and waved back.

“I’m Sam!” the girl said.

Jack sat back, his eyes widening comically. “You’re Sam, but I thought she was Sam?” He nudged Carter with his shoulder.

The little girl laughed and clapped her hands. “We’re both Sam!”

Sara met Sam’s eyes and inclined her head slightly. See? She seemed to be saying, great father. Sam nodded as Jack leaned forward.

“How ‘bout I call you Sammy then?”

“That’s what Daddy and Sara call me!”

“Then that’s settled. You’re Sammy, she’s Sam,” he elbowed Sam gently.

Dave stretched his hand across the table, “Dave Walker, Sara’s told me a lot about you.”

“Uh oh,” Jack said, shaking Dave’s hand. Sara rolled her eyes at him as the waitress brought the rest of the drinks to them.

They began to chat, Jack mostly watching. His hand reached under the table and he intertwined his fingers with Sam’s. She started slightly at the contact, and then relaxed into it. 

Sara watched, a slight smile on her face. Jack had never been particularly affectionate in public. 

“Sara!” she looked down at Sammy, “I have to potty.”

“Alright, let’s go,” she pulled Sammy out of her booster seat. They headed to the bathroom. Dave leaned back, his eyes following them.

“You’re wondering about her mother,” he looked back at Jack and Sam. They glanced at each other.

“We’re a little curious, but you don’t have to tell us,” Sam said, “We do enough highly classified work that we can squash our curiosity.”

“Well, you might be able to,” Jack muttered. Sam squeezed his hand.

Dave closed his eyes briefly. “I think you need to know Jack. I think it’ll help you understand my relationship with Sara and how I met her.”

Jack frowned at Dave.

“Like I told Sam, I was in the Army for 12 years. I went in right out of high school. My high school sweetheart was Diane. We stayed in contact while I was overseas. 10 years later, we got married. When I got out, we got pregnant. We had always wanted kids…”

He paused. Sam’s hand tightened on Jack’s.

“Everything was perfect until Diane gave birth to Sammy. She just…disconnected after that. Post-partum depression, the doctors said. She hardly touched Sammy. It was hard, trying to balance being a new cop and raising Sammy pretty much by myself. But we managed…”

He closed his eyes. “Two weeks after Sammy’s first birthday, Diane took my duty weapon and shot herself in our bed.”

Jack’s hand jerked. Sam leaned against him. Dave nodded slowly at Jack.

“I met Sara through my grief counselor. He had worked with Sara for a few years and thought…he thought Sammy might help Sara and that Sara might help me. We met two years ago, started dating about eight months later. I proposed a month ago.”

Silence fell over the table. “I’m sorry,” Jack said softly.

Dave nodded, “So was I.”

Sam rested her cheek against Jack’s shoulder. He rested their intertwined hands on her thigh.

Sara and Sammy came back. Sara picked the little girl up and set her back in the booster seat. She looked between Dave and the others.

“You told them?” Dave nodded as Sara sat down. The waitress came over with their food.

Sam sat up and freed their hands so they eat. A comfortable silence fell over the table as they dug into their breakfast.

“Jack, guess what?” Sammy said.

“What, kiddo?”

“I turn 4 in two days!” she held up three fingers.

“Really? That’s exciting! Are you going to get everything you asked for?”

“Yes, cause my daddy is the bestest.”

The adults laughed. The waitress refilled drinks. Sam watched Jack interact with Sammy and her chest tightened a bit. Would he be this delightful with their child?

Sara watched Sam, seeming to know what was going through Sam’s head. Her eyes drifted back to Jack. Seeing him with Sam, knowing that they were going to have a child, made something deep within her twist painfully.

Part of her wondered if she was just a tiny bit jealous of Sam. Sam got to see every side of Jack, the military side, the fun-loving, goofy side, and soon, the family man. Jack had always been so careful around Sara. He had never talked about his work with the Air Force. She understood that most of it was highly classified, but even the unclassified work he never talked about. She knew, of course, that he was a highly trained killer, but it was so hard to reconcile that knowledge with the man that she married.

It was interesting, watching Jack and Sam. They sat with their backs to the wall, their eyes occasionally sweeping the café, looking for anything out of place; Dave usually did the same. She figured the only reason he was okay with sitting with his back to the door was he knew Jack was former Special Forces. She’d have to ask him later.

Sara could see the bond between Jack and Sam; it was clear that they had spent a long time watching each other’s backs. She figured they were probably in the safest café in the state right now. Knowing Jack, he had at least one gun on him, and it wouldn’t surprise her if Sam was carrying as well.

Dave and Sam were talking about something, and Jack’s eyes kept sweeping the café. Sara’s mind went back to her years with Jack. They had been happy, and had loved each other. It was hard though, especially when he was away for months at a time on classified missions. She remembered when that parachute mission had failed so spectacularly and he had so many broken bones she had been amazed he could walk again. In a rare moment of openness, he had told her that she was the only thing that kept him from letting go and dying on that mission. 

After Charlie had been born, he backed off on the Special Ops missions. He had told her not coming home wasn’t an option anymore. Which had made her wonder if it had been before. She would’ve liked to think that she meant more to him than that, but she knew that before Charlie, his country had come first. It was only after he became a father that his priorities had changed.

When she had found out she was pregnant, she had been terrified that Jack wouldn’t be happy. She had been worried about him as a father. How could someone who could kill another human so easily (and from what some of his Special Forces friends had let slip, he was very good at his job) be a good father?

But he had exceeded her every expectation. He was a great father. He loved Charlie more than anything, and the change it brought in him was amazing to behold. He had been so good with Charlie. He never minded being jerked out of sleep in the middle of the night by his screaming son. He wanted every opportunity to hold him, to spend time with him.

Jack loved sharing baseball with Charlie, and Charlie loved playing anything with his father. Jack was still in the Air Force, but he refrained from doing the dangerous missions. It was only during the Gulf War that he had leapt back into the Special Ops, and that had ended with him as a POW for four months. She thought she had lost him then.

Charlie had been too young to understand why Daddy wasn’t coming home, or why she had broken down when the distinguished Air Force officers had shown up on their doorstep, telling her that her husband was a known prisoner. 

When Jack finally had come home, he had changed. The slightly goofy, care free father was gone. He had been replaced by a serious, withdrawn man who began smoking nearly a pack a day. Charlie helped bring him out of that dark place. Sara tried to be understanding, but he shut her out sometimes, and it hurt.

Slowly, Jack had returned to himself. He went to more baseball games with Charlie, took them to the lake in Minnesota often, and generally became a model husband and father. He still never talked about what had happened in Iraq, and she finally stopped pushing. Other military wives listened to her and understood her frustrations.

And then on that sunny afternoon, everything changed. In an instant, Charlie was gone. There was no going back, and part of her hated Jack for the fact that it was his gun that had caused the fatal injury in their son.

Sara took a drink of her orange juice, her eyes still on Jack. Did she forgive him? Part of her did. Part of her understood that it really hadn’t been Jack’s fault, but on the other hand, it had been so easy to blame him. And blame him she did. She had blamed him, hated him for years after Charlie’s death. The gun should’ve been locked up, like it usually was. Charlie shouldn’t have been up in their room alone. 

After Charlie’s death, they had both fallen into their own personal pits of despair. Jack, she knew, blamed himself. She blamed Jack. She knew Jack had come perilously close to killing himself with the same gun, and God forgive her, there had been days where she had just wanted him to pull the trigger and end it. She had walked by Charlie’s room often enough to see Jack sitting on the bed, gun in hand, hair grown out and eyes dark with self-loathing.

There had been a number of times she had seen him actually sitting with the gun against his temple, finger caressing the trigger. They never talked; she tried not to be in the same room as him for more than a few minutes.

And then the Air Force had come for him, reinstated him, whisked him away for a top secret mission. He never even said goodbye. She knew that whatever this mission was, he wasn’t planning on coming home. It was the perfect excuse to never come home, to be in the same house that Charlie had died in.

She had moved almost as soon as he left for Cheyenne Mountain. She went to live with her father for a while, needing the unconditional love and support. She mailed divorce papers to the house, on the off chance he did come home from this mission.

She had been somewhat surprised many months later when the divorce papers came back, signed by Jack. He had come back. He didn’t try to seek her out; he just sent the papers back with his signature. She was sure she would ever see him again, but she did.

She had been working on a car when she heard him say hello. She had been surprised to see him, and he had been acting strangely, asking to see Charlie. How he could do that? How could he stand there and ask her to see Charlie like nothing had happened?

He had seemed to have a break down in Charlie’s room, and they had talked for the first time in years at the park, the very same park she had first seen the picture of Sam Carter.

She remembered his continual mention of something called a ‘Stargate,’ and then that strange lightning arcing across his body. She rushed him to the hospital, realizing she didn’t want him to die. She took him to the very ER that Charlie had died in. Sara would never forget the chaos of the hospital as more lightning streaked from him, hurting her hand.

She remembered the shock of seeing another Jack O’Neill jogging down the hall towards her, followed by the most stoic looking black man she had ever seen, a disheveled young man with glasses, and a woman, who she now recognized as Sam Carter. Jack had embraced her hard, and then had Carter lead her from the hospital.

Sara thought she had surely died when Jack walked out of the hospital holding Charlie’s hand.

“It’s not Charlie,” he had said. But God, it had looked exactly like Charlie, sounded like Charlie.

“I have to take him back.”

“To the Stargate.”

“Yes.”

They embraced again, Charlie-who-was-not-Charlie gently touching her hand. That had been the last time she had really seen Jack. She had wondered after that episode if they could somehow move on, maybe even get back together, but it hadn’t happened, and looking at Sam Carter, she could understand why.

Jack and Sam would have a bond she and Jack could never have had. They were both military and worked together on this Stargate program, whatever that was. It was apparently dangerous enough to have forged the type of bond she had previously only seen Jack have with his Special Forces buddies, and it had turned into something much deeper. 

Sara sighed quietly. She did forgive Jack, she just wasn’t sure she would ever be able to voice it to him. Not yet, anyway. She glanced at Sammy, and felt her heart lighten slightly. She loved Sammy, and she knew she always would. Sammy would never replace Charlie, but she could love both of them, and she hoped Jack would be able to love this new child as much as he had loved Charlie. She knew that love wasn’t finite. She had learned to love another child, even with the fear of losing her just under the surface.

Yes, part of her was jealous of Sam, but a bigger part of her was happy with her life now. She had Dave, who was a great, loving man and a wonderful father. As Sammy had said, “the bestest.” She had Sammy, and who knows, maybe there would be another child in her future.

She hoped with all of her heart that Jack could forgive himself enough to let himself love the new child. She vowed to herself to help Sam if she needed it, with whatever came up.

Sara pulled herself back into the present, finishing off her breakfast. The waitress came over and set the bill in the middle of the table. Jack reached for it, but Dave snatched it first. 

“I got this,” he said with a grin. He had enjoyed talking to Sam and getting to meet Jack. He was an interesting man; a man of many layers. He had known a few SF guys in the Army, and Jack definitely was Special Forces. He just carried himself that way. Dave wouldn’t want to meet him alone in a dark alley.

Jack frowned, reaching for his wallet. “You sure?”

“’Course. You can buy next time.” He stood up and went to pay.

Sammy clapped her hands excitedly, looking from Sara to Jack and Sam. “Does that mean I get to see you again?”

“Sure thing, kiddo.”

Sara rolled her eyes and quickly scribbled her phone number on a napkin. She handed it to Sam.

“Let me know when you guys have a break, because I know he won’t,” she jerked her thumb at Jack, who pretended to look offended. Sam smiled and punched the number into her phone.

Dave walked back over as everyone started putting jackets back on. He shook Jack and Sam’s hands again.

“It was great to meet you, both of you.”

Jack nodded, “I’m glad you and Sara found each other,” he said softly, “I’m glad she’s happy again.”

Dave smiled. “Thank you, Jack.”

When Jack turned, he was surprised to see Sara embracing Sam, whispering something in her ear.

“Call me if you need anything, Sam…and if you want my advice, fuck him senseless, and then tell him.”

“Sara!” Sam spluttered, her face flushing. Jack’s eyebrow shot up. What the hell had Sara said to her?

Sara stepped back, her eyes twinkling. “Let me know how it goes, okay?”

Sam nodded, her eyes serious. “Thank you Sara, I really appreciate it.”

Jack’s brows furrowed. Appreciated what? What the hell had they talked about before he got here?

Dave picked up his daughter. “Ready to go to the park?”

“Yay! Sara, hurry!”

Sara smiled back and Sammy before turning back to Jack. She gave him a quick, hard hug and stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Be happy, Jack. Don’t lose this chance.”

He looked at Sara in surprise. He opened his mouth to question her but she just smiled, waved to Sam, and followed Dave and Sammy out the door. He stood there, staring after them.

What the hell had just happened?

Sam took his hand, directing his attention back to her. She smiled at him, “Ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” They walked out the door. “Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“Today has been a very strange day.”

SG-1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second place I've posted this story, it's originally published at ff.net under the same name. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


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